The Chronicle brings you stories of some the young heroes of today: young Capetonians taking on the mantle of Tikkun Olam in truly concrete ways.
In recent weeks, many Capetonians became engrossed in a story unfolding on social media and found themselves shedding a tear because of the incredible generosity of their community when called on to make a difference. We are referring to the @Gingerwithagopro scenario, when over R500 000 was raised in a few days to help a wheelchair-bound homeless man, Sydney.
The main protagonist, Chad Nathan, is a young Johannesburger, now living in Cape Town, and he used his status as an influencer to reach out to a wide audience of people who have all helped to change a life in a very meaningful way.
It seems fitting that this happened on the eve of Youth Day, a public holiday which stems from such a truly significant event – one unfortunately forgotten by most people – that reflected the power that young people have to make a difference, and to change their world in positive ways.
Now, the Chronicle brings you stories of some the young heroes of today: young Capetonians taking on the mantle of Tikkun Olam in truly concrete ways.
A chance encounter on a rainy day
Cape Town content creator Chad Nathan set out for a solitary run along the Sea Point Promenade on a recent cold, stormy morning – unexpectedly setting off an extraordinary act of kindness that has touched thousands.
Chad, known online as Gingerwithagopro, shared the story in posts on his Instagram account after meeting a homeless man named Sydney Miller during his run in the rain.
Read about Chad’s work as a content creator here.
“I was running on the Sea Point Prom, there wasn’t a soul in sight, a little bit of rain, and really rough seas,” Chad explained.
After deciding to cut short his usual 10-kilometre route near the lighthouse because of the cold, Chad spotted a man alone in a wheelchair.
“We were basically the only two people out there,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Hey man, would you like me to push you anywhere? It’s cold out here.’”
Sydney asked to be taken to the bus stop near the Sea Point pools, where he sleeps. Chad pushed him the entire way – about four kilometres – through the wind and rain. Along the way, Sydney shared his story – one marked by hardship, injury, and loneliness.
Chad learned that Sydney had recently come from Somerset Hospital after receiving devastating news: doctors may need to amputate his leg. Years earlier, he had lost a foot after being knocked over by a car and, according to Chad, had received no compensation from the Road Accident Fund.
Despite his circumstances, Sydney asked for very little.
“He didn’t even ask for money,” Chad said. “He asked for a wheelchair, clothes, and a bag.”
Moved by the encounter, Chad posted a video online appealing for help. Within minutes, donations began pouring in.
“I put my phone down and went to meet my mate for lunch,” he said. “Five to six minutes later it had around 50 000 views.”
By the end of the day, donations had exceeded R300 000.
When Chad eventually found Sydney again after searching the promenade, he offered him a choice between R1 000 in cash or a ‘mystery gift’. Sydney chose the mystery gift.
“He broke down in tears when I told him we had raised R115 000 for him,” Chad said.
Chad plans to identify a suitable financial planner or investment expert to manage the capital raised from which a monthly stipend will be paid over to Sydney for his daily living needs.
For Chad, the experience became a reminder of the power of compassion: “Just knowing what a little random act of kindness can do to someone – and how it can change someone’s life.”
At the time of finalising this Chronicle, donations made to support Sydney via Chad’s campaign had reached over R500 000!
Follow the story as it unfolded on Instagram: Story 1, Story 2, Story 3
Putting water safety first
15-year-old Mia Braun was moved to take action when she “…found out that 39 children under the age of 14 died from drowning in the Western Cape in 2022”, a statistic that, she says, “really broke my heart”.
Mia developed a love for swimming after starting to play water polo at school. She realises the importance of water safety, especially for young people living in the Western Cape with its very long coastline and numerous opportunities for people to swim.
Armed with a passion for swimming and the awful reality of the drownings happening all over in Cape Town and its surrounding areas, Mia decided to select a water safety project as a focus in her role as a Junior City Councillor in Cape Town. (See the article published earlier this year about Mia’s success in being selected for the Junior City Council.)
Partnering with the Guide Along Aquatics Swim Club, Mia established the Stroke for Hope project, an initiative through which she hopes to have 100 children go through the water safety and swimming training offered by the Swim Club, which is based in Atlantis.
“The first leg of the project,” she explains, “is to raise the funds needed to pay for the training. I’ve set the fundraising target at R120 000, and people have been wonderful about responding to my call for funds.” Mia set up a Backabuddy fundraiser for this purpose, and her donors and supporters helped her exceed that target by the date of her swim, 22 May.
“I tied the fundraising initiative to my own challenge: to successfully complete a Robben Island swim – a distance of 7 to 8km depending on the current. Now that I’ve successfully completed the swim we will start with the training initiative for young people from underprivileged communities.”
Mia’s dedication to her swimming is clear from the hours she puts in: up at 5.30am every day for training, she also swims at Clifton 4th Beach every Wednesday, and takes part in many other swimming events, all while getting through the academic rigour required for Grade 10 studies and her work as a Cape Town Junior City Councillor.
This dedication is clear, too, from her other plans for her swimming project: to educate the children she will be interacting with about the wider world of swimming through bringing speakers to them who can share their swimming journeys.
Doing it for the penguins
25-year-old Alon Sarembock, who works as a Junior Accounts Manager in Cape Town, has been passionate about swimming throughout his life. He plans to undertake a Robben Island swim, so allowing him to connect a personal sporting goal with a cause that carries real environmental urgency and long-term significance: the survival of our penguin population.
As he explains, “For me, this swim is about aligning a personal challenge with meaningful impact. While it is a test of physical endurance and mental strength, it is also an opportunity to help raise awareness and support for conservation work that is often unseen but deeply essential.”
The conservation work he refers to is done by SANCCOB, a local NGO that plays a vital role in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of seabirds along the South African coastline, with a specific focus on the endangered African penguin. Their work is hands-on, urgent, and often life-saving. Every day, their team responds to injured, oiled, or abandoned birds, providing critical care that directly contributes to the survival of species that are rapidly declining in the wild.
The African penguin, in particular, is facing a severe population decline due to a combination of habitat loss, overfishing of their natural food sources, and the ongoing pressures of climate and environmental change. “Without organisations like SANCCOB, many of these birds would not survive long enough to be rehabilitated and returned to their natural environment,” Alon explains.
Having established a BackaBuddy fundraising page to accept donations for the SANCCOB cause, Alon has already exceeded his target of raising R12 000.
The swim is approximately 7.5km in length in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Going by boat from Bloubergstrand to Robben Island before sunrise, Alon will swim back to Bloubergstrand. “The route from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand is known for its strong currents, low water temperatures, and demanding conditions, making it a true test of endurance and mental resilience,” he says.
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